Vitamin Information Center

Nutritional Armor - It would be nice if you could put on armor everyday to protect your body from all those things which would harm it. Cell research has shown that free radical damage causes early aging, and free radicals come from the environment. The good news is that nature holds secrets like the Acai berry which can be consumed and become a natural armor against free radical damage.

When you read Acai facts, it’s hard to believe this amazing fruit has not been used in most health products. The berry contains an intense concentration of flavanoids called anthocyanins known to reduce the occurrence of heart disease. Acai also contains fatty acids which help the body absorb the fat soluble vitamins like A, D and E.

The nutritional armor you wear when using Acai also includes a variety of vitamins and other elements like phytochemicals. There is calcium, fiber and protein also packed into these little berries. You will find minerals like potassium and magnesium which are required by your body’s systems for efficient operation.

Knights on White Horses

When you read the facts about Acai, it’s easy to see that consumption of the berry will give you the ability to fight disease and increase your energy levels. When you put on Acai armor, it’s like having knights on white horses come to your defense. Except in this case the “knights” are essential nutrients and the “white horses” are the antioxidants.

Reading Acai facts presents an interesting story of a plant known to contain exceptional health benefits for years. In South America the Acai berry has been used in fruits drinks as a nutritional supplement. The fact is the berry has up to 30 times the number of anthocyanins as any other dark colored fruit.

Most people have read about the heart health benefits of drinking a glass of dark wine each day. It’s the anthocyanins in the wine which are protecting your cardiovascular system. It’s amazing to think this natural remedy has been hiding in the Amazon for thousands of years.

A summary of Acai facts shows you the tremendous nutritional value of the berry. The berry is turned into a delicious drink that can be used regularly in your daily diet. It makes it easy to insure you are getting the nutritional supplementation you need to stay as healthy as possible. Acai Facts You Never Knew!

Before we dig into the amazing acai facts, let’s take a look at the famous acai story. Legend says that there lived an Amazon Indian girl called “Iaca.” Her father was the chief of the tribe. It so happened that their tribe faced acute shortage of food. Thus, the chief ordered every newborn to be killed in order to let the existing members survive. When the chief’s daughter, Iaca, gave birth to a baby, the tiny life had to be terminated too! Iaca couldn’t overcome her baby’s death and wailed for many days in her hut.

One day, she heard a cry outside. Curiosity got the better of her and she followed the baby’s cry that led her into the forest. She came across a tall, attractive palm tree loaded with dark purple tiny berries. This came as a rude shock to her. Here was so much food for the tribe and she had to kill her baby! This harsh truth struck her like a bolt of lightening and she died right there against the tree.

The next day, the tribesmen found Iaca’s body and the treasure of food too. The rule was removed and the tribe became healthier and stronger after eating the wonder fruit, which was named as “Acai” after the chief’s daughter. Actually, it’s “Iaca” spelled backwards!

Among all the interesting acai facts, one especially intriguing is that out of all the native Indian tribes, only those who consumed acai berries survived; the rest perished due to European germs!

Astounding Acai Facts! Acai juice is known popularly as the “Wine of Amazon.” Acai can’t be transported in its whole fruit form. It has to be processed into freeze dried powder or liquid form. The amount of disease-combating antioxidants found in acai is higher than any other fruit found on the earth. The ORAC value of acai berry is 1026 as compared to spinach’s 150 and broccoli’s 130! Acai berry contains anthocyanins that are 30 times more than that present in red wine! This fruit is rich in vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, C, and E; minerals like calcium, iron, and phosphorus; protein, dietary fiber, and essential fatty acids like Omega 3, 6, and 9 that are also present in virgin olive oil. This fruit with abundant health benefits and loads of nutrients is dark purple in color and just one inch in diameter!

Brazilians have been relishing on acai fruit for decades. A cold bowl of these rejuvenating berries for breakfast daily is your way towards a healthy and youthful life in the future. Chomp Chomp!

The fact is that using the Acai berry will increase your energy, improve organ function, strengthen the immune system and fight free radicals. It’s hard to find a single product which can accomplish so much in one drink. Read the facts and see for yourself all of the health benefits.

Pollutants , drugs, food preservatives and additives, artificial sweeteners, colourants, essences and hydrogenators, all assault the human body. These, along with the processed and refined foods, not only deprive us of the essential nutrients, but also overload the body with toxins and metabolic wastes. This unhealthy diet makes for a strong case in favour of ‘natural foods’ . The ancient sages of India stressed on the benefits of raw natural food. In fact, the first step of detoxifying the body to cure any disease was to feed on fresh fruits and vegetable juices. Here are few interesting tips:

A combination of honey and ginger soothes sore throat and prevents cold and cough

Take honey if you are feeling nervous and tense

If you are having trouble sleeping, take a tablespoon of honey in warm milk at bedtime. Honey has a mild, natural sedative effect and aids in relaxation

Yogurt is nature’s own antibiotic. It destroys harmful bacteria in our digestive system, helps strengthen the body, and is as nutritious as milk, but easier to digest. Add a few spoons of wheatgerm to milk, orange juice, or the dough that is mixed to make chapattis. Wheatgerm is the richest sources of Vitamin E and plays a significant role in preventing many conditions like, diabetes, hardened arteries, loss of muscle tone, loss of skin elasticity and loss of vitality Carrot juice, a rich source of vitamin A, when combined with cabbage juice has an alkaline effect and gives protection from the effects of acid forming foods

Citrus fruits are rich in vitamin C

Take a high fibre diet. As you take long to chew fibrous foods it satisfies the appetite High fibre foods also make you feel full and discourage you from eating more Take small helpings. Never over fill your plate, especially when you are eating out Avoid rich salad dressings. Use lemon juice, herbs, chaat masala, for adding flavour and spice to raw vegetables

Most women are aware of the benefits that prenatal and pregnancy vitamins can bring for mother and child. However, a recent independent review conducted by a panel of Australian Naturopaths has shown that some of Australia’s leading prenatal and pregnancy vitamin formulas could be significantly improved.

Review panellist and Naturopath Eliza Finn of CBD Natural Health commented that “It appears that some leading Australian over-the-counter products misleadingly lack the quality and variety of vital ingredients necessary for optimal nutritional support for mother and developing baby. While most products contain high amounts of folate well known to be necessary during pregnancy, they often leave out important, synergistic and essential nutrients needed such as other B-group vitamins, Vitamin A, Vitamin E, Calcium, Zinc and Omega-3 fatty acids that are also important during this time. ”

The results of the review have been published on Australian vitamin information website HealthyComaprisons.com.au. Website Director Kristy Lee added “There are some fantastic products on the market, however it’s important to note that not all products offer the rainbow and dosages of ingredients necessary to support their intended benefit. Expecting mothers should always research products well or consult a health professional before making purchases that affect mother and baby’s health.

“HealthyComparisons.com.au not only provides important information about vitamins for expecting mothers, but provides product comparisons and reviews for 33 different health categories including Arthritis, Multivitamins, Menopause, PMS and even Weight Loss.

“Whilst the vitamin information and reviews do not replace the personal advice of a qualified health professional, they go some way towards ensuring that there is independent information available for Australian consumers”.

For more information on the reviews and to meet the vitamin review panel, visit HealthyComparisons.com.au.

Vitamin supplements may only be of assistance where dietary intake is inadequate.

Top 16 Pregnancy vitamins as ranked by National Pharmaceutical Retail Sales Volumes provided by Synovate Aztec were reviewed.

Researchers at Rutgers have unlocked some of the mysteries of how the developing embryo reacts to fluctuations in the amount of vitamin A present in the maternal blood stream. Their results are presented in the February 28 issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry.

The researchers studied the role of LRAT, a protein that facilitates the formation of vitamin A stores in the body, during embryonic development. In particular, they showed how LRAT protects developing tissues from potentially toxic levels of vitamin A that have been ingested by the mother. Although this function of LRAT had previously been hypothesized in adults, this is the first time that its role has been demonstrated during embryonic development.

The developing mammalian embryo is entirely dependent on the maternal circulation for its supply of retinoids, the vitamin A metabolites produced in the body. These are essential nutrients and they control the formation of the embryo’s heart, central nervous system, eyes and other important organs and tissues. Malformations of the developing embryo can occur when too little, or too much, vitamin A is consumed by the mother.

“We were looking for the mechanisms that allow the fetus to maintain adequate amount of retinoids, whether the mother has over- or under-consumed vitamin A,” said Dr. Loredana Quadro, an assistant professor in the Department of Food Science and member of the Center for Lipid Research at the Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences. “We also looked at the effects of different levels of vitamin A being transferred from the mother to the fetus.”

When vitamin A is ingested, it is converted into retinyl ester (RE) in the intestine from where it is secreted in the bloodstream packaged with other dietary lipids into lipoprotein particles called chylomicrons. The majority of dietary RE reaches the liver, the main body storage site of vitamin A. Under insufficient dietary vitamin A intake, the liver transforms RE into retinol (ROH), which is then secreted into the bloodstream bound to retinol-binding protein (RBP), its sole specific serum carrier, to be delivered to the target tissues. Upon intake through a specific membrane receptor named Stra6, ROH is ultimately converted to retinoic acid (RA), which is the active form of vitamin A. If tissue RA is in excess, it is transformed into inactive forms, such as 4-hydroxy retinoic acid or 4-oxo retinoic acid (OXO-RA) by the action of a specific enzyme named Cyp26A1.

“When we think about vitamin A, we think about one compound,” said Quadro. “But in reality, the term vitamin A comprises a family of different compounds. Each one has a slightly different action, and plays a different role.”

The Rutgers researchers took a closer look at how ROH is metabolized into RE and RA to maintain an optimal balance of retinoids during the formation of the embryo. Mutant mice lacking both RBP and LRAT were generated to perform this study, so as to interfere with the two main pathways of maternal vitamin A delivery to the fetus (ROH-RBP from the liver stores and RE of dietary origin).

“We hypothesized that the lack of ROH-RBP and LRAT would make the embryo more vulnerable to changes in maternal dietary vitamin A intake,” said Quadro “and our data proved this to be correct. Indeed, a severe embryonic vitamin A deficiency is readily attainable when the mothers are deprived of dietary vitamin A during pregnancy. Therefore, this strain turned out to be a very good model to study how embryonic development is affected by fluctuations in the amount of retinoids present in the maternal diet and hence in the maternal circulation”.

The researchers identified LRAT, Cyp26A1 and Stra6 as the three key molecular players that act in coordination to protect the developing tissues from potentially detrimental levels of vitamin A ingested by the mother. “Understanding vitamin A metabolism in the developing fetus could have broad implications,” said Quadro. “Consumption of large doses of dietary supplements and vitamins, including vitamin A, has become a very common practice in recent years, generating the necessity to investigate the effects of high doses of vitamin A intake at different stages of the lifecycle, including pregnancy and development. These studies expand our knowledge of maternal-fetal nutrition and dietary contribution to embryonic development and may ultimately provide new insight into appropriate dietary practices during pregnancy.”

The paper was previously published on the Journal of Biological Chemistry’s web site on December 19, 2007.

Source: Rutgers University

Remember the old wives tale that says fish is good for your brain and cod liver oil will help keep you healthy? Apparently, the old wives knew what they were talking about!

Most of us are trying to cut down our fat intake in our diet. However, recent research shows that not all fats are harmful. In fact, a lot of us have deficiencies in some very important fats called the essential fatty acids. These oils are essential to the development of the immune system, and brain functions. A shortage of these oils can lead to problems with concentration, hyperactivity, dyslexia, and coordination problems. Dramatic improvements in performance can result merely by correcting this deficiency, particluarly in children.
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Having hair loss can be very upsetting experience for everyone all over the world. But, don’t lose your hopes; you have several hair loss prevention measures to control your hair loss problem. So, hair loss is a treatable condition if hair loss prevention measures are taken regularly in time.
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The nutrition your child receives from infancy through his or her formative years is essential not only to building a strong body, but also to achieving optimal mental and intellectual ability as well as emotional health. This is why the way you feed your child is generally considered an important part of good parenting.

Recent advances in nutritional neuroscience show that particular nutrients have certain affects on the development of the human brain, which influence intelligence, mood, and behavior.
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The colon is responsible for absorbing the vitamins, nutrients, and water from the things we consume. Then, it’s in charge of eliminating the waste items from the body. However, all the processed foods that most people are accustomed to eating today causes our waste to be thick and pasty. This waste sticks to our intestine walls and doesn’t eliminate properly. We then develop problems like constipation, irritable bowel or diarrhea. This is one of the main reasons a colon cleansing may be called for.
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Do you know what you are feeding your dog? If you are feeding your dog with commercial dog food, than you are in for a big surprise.

Dog food ingredients are not required to pursuant to the FDA guidelines therefore the actual ingredient could be as little as 25% of the total packaged product. The question is what comprises the remaining 75%?
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Crohn’s disease is an unpleasant disorder of the digestive and gastrointestinal tract, which affects more than a million people around the globe. It has multiple unpleasant symptoms. A drug free remedy called Ablene was developed by scientists to help those who suffer from Crohn’s disease to reduce the unpleasant effects. Continue Reading…